Lake Geneva Bluegill Fishing
Lake Geneva has some excellent bluegill fishing. I don’t fish for bluegill a lot, but I do catch quite a few big ones every year while I am fishing for smallmouth bass with a live leech or nightcrawler. I’m typically using a drop shot rig with a small hook, 4 pound test and my live bait. Every once in a while, I’ll run into a school of big bluegill and I’ll hammer quite a few of them in a short amount of time.
They fight hard, taste great and are easy to catch. I don’t spend much time targeting them, so I’m sure the good bluegill fishermen can do really well on this lake for bluegill. When I do catch them, it seems like I drifted into a little shallower water than I intended to. I’ll be fishing 22 to 35 feet of water for smallmouth bass, then all of a sudden, I’ll catch a big bluegill. A quick look at the graph and I can see that I’m in 16 to 18 feet of water. This is the situation the majority of the time when I run into bigger bluegill. I’ll catch a few real quick, then get back into deeper water for the smallmouth bass.
Lake Geneva Resources:
- Lake Geneva Bait Shops
- Lake Geneva Beaches
- Lake Geneva Boat Launches
- Lake Geneva Boat Rentals
- Lake Geneva Fishing Guides
- Lake Geneva Lodging
- Lake Geneva Lake Maps
Lake Geneva Rock Bass Fishing
Most anglers are annoyed by the Rock Bass in Lake Geneva. There are tons of them in here and they are typically located in similar spots as the smallmouth bass. You can EASILY go through 5 to 6 dozen nightcrawlers if you find a good school of rock bass. There are times when you may want to keep dropping your baits down because I have caught some of the biggest smallmouth bass during these stretches where I catch 20 rock bass in a row.
If you like fishing for rock bass, all you need is a drop shot rig with a small hook and a small piece of worm. Small leeches work really well also and the leech will stay on the hook a lot longer that a worm. Jigs tipped with a small worm or leech will also work well.
If you intend on drifting to find fish, try a single-hooked spinner rig, preferably in green and add a small leech or worm. This rig works extremely well for rock bass, especially big rock bass. On days when there is a nice drift along the shoreline, you can easily drift with a couple of spinner rigs out. Hold onto the rods so you can feel the bite. You may want to anchor or use the trolling motor to stay on the school of fish once you find them. You can catch them in bunches on Lake Geneva and they taste pretty good.
You can catch rock bass in all types of depths, but 14 to 18 feet seems to produce well. In the middle of the summer, you will find them deeper as well.
Lake Geneva Resources:
- Lake Geneva Bait Shops
- Lake Geneva Beaches
- Lake Geneva Boat Launches
- Lake Geneva Boat Rentals
- Lake Geneva Fishing Guides
- Lake Geneva Lodging
- Lake Geneva Lake Maps
Lake Geneva Northern Pike Fishing
Lake Geneva does have some trophy northern pike fishing. Just don’t expect to catch too many in an afternoon. For southern Wisconsin, the pike fishing is respectable, but not for the numbers of pike that you’re going to catch. It’s because there are some big northern pike in Lake Geneva. Pike in the 4 to 5 pound range are common with many fish in the 7 to 10 pound class as well. The size limit is 32 inches (as of 2009), which allows fish to get big here.
What’s the key to catching big pike in Lake Geneva? Creek chubs. Fish them in deeper water. 20 to 35 feet of water. I usually catch them a foot off the bottom, but you will definitely find them suspended on the thermocline in the summer. 20 to 25 feet down usually does the trick in the summer. Drop shot or a lindy rig with a 20 pound flourocarbon leader will do the trick.
Good baits are perch, chubs, suckers and big golden roaches / shiners.
My favorite spots for pike on Lake Geneva. Williams Bay, The Narrows, Military Academy.
Lake Geneva Resources:
- Lake Geneva Bait Shops
- Lake Geneva Beaches
- Lake Geneva Boat Launches
- Lake Geneva Boat Rentals
- Lake Geneva Fishing Guides
- Lake Geneva Lodging
- Lake Geneva Lake Maps
Lake Geneva Smallmouth Bass Fishing
Lake Geneva has some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in Wisconsin. Lots of big 3 to 4 pound smallmouths are in this lake. The tough part is catching them. There are tons of boats on the lake, the water is very clear and the fish can turn off and on within 15 minutes. On some of my best days, I catch most of my fish within 30 minutes to an hour. Live bait is key on this lake. Find schools of smallmouth bass on the graph and fish just above them with live bait. If you are trying to use lures, late spring and after dark are the best times.
Fish on cloudy days for the best success, especially once you get into summer. A cloudy day is the day to take a day off of work for Lake Geneva. If you can find the fish and get them to bite, you can catch a lot of big smallmouth bass in a hurry. Just warning you though, you will have a lot of tough days learning this lake.
Lake Geneva Resources:
- Lake Geneva Bait Shops
- Lake Geneva Beaches
- Lake Geneva Boat Launches
- Lake Geneva Boat Rentals
- Lake Geneva Fishing Guides
- Lake Geneva Lodging
- Lake Geneva Lake Maps
Just Shake It - Drop Shotting
I saw your post on drop shotting for bass. I just wanted to add a tip to your website. When drop shotting for finicky bass, you can really draw a strike by just shaking your rod tip and leaving your bait in about the same spot.
Basically, your weight stays on the bottom and you just shake the rod tip enough to get the plastic worm to dance. I also do this with live bait to draw a few more strikes. Leeches, nightcrawlers, smaller worms for bluegill, crappie and other panfish, minnows and even dead minnows. Trust me. It works.
Just add some life to your baits. Give ‘em a little shake.
Jerkbaits - Spring through Fall
Jerkbaits are gaining popularity in the bass fishing world. They are great baits that can really trigger a bass into a reaction strike. You can use them as a search bait with an erratic walk the dog retrieve and minimal pauses. You also can slow them down and use a twich and pause retrieve around cover. The pause is where bass will usually come out and hammer the bait because they think it is an injured bait fish, which is an easy meal. Jerkbaits work great for largemouth and smallmouth bass, although, I go much smaller with the lure size when I am targeting smallmouth bass.
While many anglers think of these baits as good cold water baits, they can be used from spring through fall with some very good success.
Missed Topwater Strikes
I love fishing topwater lures for largemouth and smallmouth bass. The problem is that I get a lot of fish to come up and miss the bait and when I cast back to them, I don’t get another strike at least half the time.
I started to follow up with a plastic worm, plastic minnow, lizard, etc. and I really started to catch more fish. I would still rather catch them on the topwater lure, but now I always have another rod set up with a soft plastic bait (preferably with no weight) so I can make a quick cast to bass that miss my topwater lures.
Drop-Shotting For Bass
The drop shot is a great technique where you have the hook tied to your line, then an additional 12 to 18 inches of line hangs down from the hook where you attach a weight. With this method, you can get your bait to the bottom, but keep your soft plastic bait just above the bottom.
It’s a great technique for catching bass in deeper water. Bass hanging on the bottom or suspended can be targeted with this method and it works very well for largemouth and smallmouth bass.
Rocky Shorelines
Rocky shorelines can be some of the best places to target fish. The irregular shoreline is typically the same underneath the water, which provides plenty of hiding places for bait fish. With plenty of bait fish nearby, you will find game fish nearby looking to snag an easy meal. Depending on how large the rocks are and the space in between the rocks, there can also be plenty of game fish using the rocks as a place to hide from other predators. Put a lure in front of their face and they are going to be ready to ambush it.
I typically do really well for crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and walleye along the rocky shorelines, although, I’m sure there are plenty of other fish hanging out there as well.
Keeping Grubs and Worms Alive When Ice Fishing
To help keep your grubs and worms alive in the winter, try putting them in a small plastic container that can easily fit inside your clothing. Your body heat and clothing will help keep your bait alive so you can focus on filling your bucket with crappie, bluegill and other sunfish.
